01/10/2026
🦔 A not so quick Update (it's a bit lengthy but real) from Ramsbottom Hedgehog Care & Rehabilitation 🦔
It’s a little quieter here today, thanks to some of our amazing Hedgehog Foster Carers 🤍.
Over the next few days, I’ll try to share a few updates on what’s been happening at the rescue.
I’ll start with the sad news first 🌈. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we try to help these delightful, complex creatures, sometimes our best just isn’t enough—or they are brought to us a little too late.
We’ve had a heart-breaking month (25/08/2026 – 30/09/2026) with extremely poorly hedgehogs who really struggled to survive. It has been really tough and upsetting for us 💔 I have to admit I have shed a tear or 3.
1️⃣ Flower 🌺 Arrived on 25/08/2026 from Bolton Rd, Ramsbottom, brought in by Brad & Hannah. She was found out in the day, hardly moving, and weighed 347g. She was dehydrated and hypothermic, so we administered subcutaneous fluids and placed her in the ICU.
Faecal analysis later revealed a high burden of Capillaria eggs and Crenosoma. Despite receiving fluids, warmth, pain relief, and targeted medication, she remained lethargic and lost weight. We had a glimmer of hope on the evening of 05/09/2026 when she ate a mouthful of food, but sadly, she passed away in the early hours weighing just 286g.
2️⃣ Gnasher 🖤 Brought in from Bury by Mike on 25/08/2026 weighing 480g. Gnasher was severely dehydrated, hypothermic, completely collapsed, and had a very rattly chest. He was also covered in tiny ticks under his body and around his face. We gave him subcutaneous fluids and pain relief to make him as warm and comfortable as possible, but he passed away just a few hours later.
3️⃣ Mrs Prickle Pants 🦔 Brought in from Bury by Shelley on 31/08/2026 weighing just 214g. She was severely hypothermic and her body had started to shut down. We made her as warm and cozy as possible, but she passed away less than two hours later.
4️⃣ Un-named Little One 🌈 Brought to us by Janet from Bolton after being found out in the day, barely moving. On arrival, we found his organs had herniated into the lower part of his body, causing severe bulging. Crucially, both rear legs had been severely bitten, with only one foot loosely attached. We immediately took him to Medivet to be humanely euthanised. Rescue doesn’t always mean survival; sometimes rescue simply means saving a little soul from further pain 🕊️.
5️⃣ Mulchi 🍂 Brought to us by Dawn from Worsley on 22/09/2026. Dawn had kept him safe overnight after finding him near a busy road and noted he had been crying. On arrival, he weighed 313g and was hypothermic, dehydrated, and emaciated. We gave subcutaneous fluids and pain relief and started treatment for Capillaria after noticing intestinal mucosa. Amazingly, he ate, drank, and made it through the night, though internal camera footage showed he was unsettled.
He passed a small amount of intestinal lining, and a faecal slide revealed 20 Capillaria eggs and 1 lungworm—the highest count I’ve ever seen on a single slide. Soon after passing a little blood, poor Mulchi let out a heart-wrenching scream. We rushed him straight to Medivet for stronger pain relief and sedation to check for anything else that might be wrong, but they found nothing else. We brought him home wrapped in his snuggle sack, where he passed away peacefully and pain-free at 2:09 a.m. 🕯️
Thank you to everyone who tried to save these adorable creatures, and to all our supporters who enable us to give them care and comfort when they need it most ❤️🦔.
PS There are some positive ones to follow tomorrow 😉😊🦔🤎
